Sam Erdman: Miracle Man Survives A Rare Genetic Liver Disease
For several months, the Erdman family of Cockeysville, MD, lived through a nightmare of the worst proportions when their 12 year old son Sam, a strong and healthy child, became sick with a mysterious illness. It all began in November, 1993, when Sam began to have nosebleeds. Their pediatrician did not find anything seriously wrong and said he would "grow out of them."
Within the next few months, Sam's parents, Steve and Bev, noticed that their son's energy level seemed to decline. He took frequent naps after school and on weekends. One Saturday, when he had a few friends over to play baseball, Sam went indoors and fell asleep, leaving his friends to wonder where he was. It was very unlike him.
In March, 1994, Sam began to complain that he felt "fat." His parents noticed that his abdomen did in fact look "puffy." When it became even more distended, Sam's mother, Bev, took him to the doctor. Immediately recognizing the signs of serious illness, the doctor sent Sam straight to the emergency room at Johns Hopkins University Hospital. Ledipasvir and sofosbuvir.
After an initial examination and tests, Sam was admitted to the hospital by hepatologist Kathleen Schwarz, M.D. Dr. Schwarz wanted to do a liver biopsy, but because Sam's blood was clotting so poorly, decided against it and instead, sent him for an eye test. She suspected Wilson's disease, a inherited disorder in which excessive amounts of copper build up in the body, causing damage to the liver and the brain. Copper may also accumulate in the eyes, causing brown pigmentation called Kayser-Fleischer rings. Just as Dr. Schwarz suspected, Sam's eye test showed the presence of the rings. sofosbuvir velpatasvir
Further tests confirmed the diagnosis. This rare disorder af
fects only one in 30,000 individuals, and the abnormal gene must be received from not one, but both parents. "If there was a lottery to win, this certainly wasn't the one," commented Sam's father, Steve.
Sam was started on penicillamine, a drug that gradually removes copper from the body over a period of several months, and was sent home. However, a severe reaction to the medication sent him back to the hospital with a high fever and rash. His therapy was changed to smaller doses of penicillamine along with other drugs. Unfortunately, nothing helped.
Over the next few weeks, Sam's condition grew worse. Along with nausea and vomiting, he ran fevers and suffered from painful muscle spasms. He began vomiting blood (a result of varices, or burst veins in the esophagus, due to increased pressure in the blood vessels caused by liver scarring) and was readmitted to theHCV is ciurable. On April 27, Dr. Schwarz made a decision: the drug therapy was not helping, and Sam's only hope was a liver transplant. The situation was so critical that if a liver didn't become available soon, doctors would consider doing a live donor transplant, using a portion of Steve's liver.
The wait began, with Sam in and out of the hospital several times. Through it all, he continued to face his ordeal with intelligence and courage, earning the nickname "Miracle Man." Love, support, and visits from family and friends helped the Erdmans cope.
On June 29, a liver became available, and Sam finally received his transplant. The surgery went well and Sam came through beautifully. "On July 2, only a few days following surgery, he told me he'd never felt better in his life," Steve said. Only nine days after the transplant, Sam returned home. His recovery was so complete and rapid that by August 14, he was water-skiing.
Today, Sam is in high school. "He is doing really well," said his father. "His only problem was a minor bout of rejection, resolved by adjusting his medication." Sam traveled to France with his family this past summer, plays baseball and golf, and enjoys doing all the things he did before he became sick.
"We don't know how to thank the donor family," said Steve. "I guess the only thanks we can give is to love Sam as much as they must have loved their daughter."
For several months, the Erdman family of Cockeysville, MD, lived through a nightmare of the worst proportions when their 12 year old son Sam, a strong and healthy child, became sick with a mysterious illness. It all began in November, 1993, when Sam began to have nosebleeds. Their pediatrician did not find anything seriously wrong and said he would "grow out of them."
Within the next few months, Sam's parents, Steve and Bev, noticed that their son's energy level seemed to decline. He took frequent naps after school and on weekends. One Saturday, when he had a few friends over to play baseball, Sam went indoors and fell asleep, leaving his friends to wonder where he was. It was very unlike him.
In March, 1994, Sam began to complain that he felt "fat." His parents noticed that his abdomen did in fact look "puffy." When it became even more distended, Sam's mother, Bev, took him to the doctor. Immediately recognizing the signs of serious illness, the doctor sent Sam straight to the emergency room at Johns Hopkins University Hospital. Ledipasvir and sofosbuvir.
After an initial examination and tests, Sam was admitted to the hospital by hepatologist Kathleen Schwarz, M.D. Dr. Schwarz wanted to do a liver biopsy, but because Sam's blood was clotting so poorly, decided against it and instead, sent him for an eye test. She suspected Wilson's disease, a inherited disorder in which excessive amounts of copper build up in the body, causing damage to the liver and the brain. Copper may also accumulate in the eyes, causing brown pigmentation called Kayser-Fleischer rings. Just as Dr. Schwarz suspected, Sam's eye test showed the presence of the rings. sofosbuvir velpatasvir
Further tests confirmed the diagnosis. This rare disorder af
fects only one in 30,000 individuals, and the abnormal gene must be received from not one, but both parents. "If there was a lottery to win, this certainly wasn't the one," commented Sam's father, Steve.
Sam was started on penicillamine, a drug that gradually removes copper from the body over a period of several months, and was sent home. However, a severe reaction to the medication sent him back to the hospital with a high fever and rash. His therapy was changed to smaller doses of penicillamine along with other drugs. Unfortunately, nothing helped.
Over the next few weeks, Sam's condition grew worse. Along with nausea and vomiting, he ran fevers and suffered from painful muscle spasms. He began vomiting blood (a result of varices, or burst veins in the esophagus, due to increased pressure in the blood vessels caused by liver scarring) and was readmitted to theHCV is ciurable. On April 27, Dr. Schwarz made a decision: the drug therapy was not helping, and Sam's only hope was a liver transplant. The situation was so critical that if a liver didn't become available soon, doctors would consider doing a live donor transplant, using a portion of Steve's liver.
The wait began, with Sam in and out of the hospital several times. Through it all, he continued to face his ordeal with intelligence and courage, earning the nickname "Miracle Man." Love, support, and visits from family and friends helped the Erdmans cope.
On June 29, a liver became available, and Sam finally received his transplant. The surgery went well and Sam came through beautifully. "On July 2, only a few days following surgery, he told me he'd never felt better in his life," Steve said. Only nine days after the transplant, Sam returned home. His recovery was so complete and rapid that by August 14, he was water-skiing.
Today, Sam is in high school. "He is doing really well," said his father. "His only problem was a minor bout of rejection, resolved by adjusting his medication." Sam traveled to France with his family this past summer, plays baseball and golf, and enjoys doing all the things he did before he became sick.
"We don't know how to thank the donor family," said Steve. "I guess the only thanks we can give is to love Sam as much as they must have loved their daughter."
